Lea Lynch
Lt. Commander Lea Lynch is Starfleet Chief of Security for New Earth Colony, Gaia. Background Born in 2141, Lea Fiona Lynch was born in Tolga, a small town on the Atherton Tablelands of Northern Queensland, Australia. Her parents, Robert and Kristen had turned the family macadamia plantation into holiday lodgings overlooking the picturesque Atherton Tableland which attracted thousands of tourists yearly. Lea spent her childhood surrounded by native bushland, going fishing with her dad on Lake Barrine and helping her parents run the lodge. As a result she was exposed to people from all over the world and in some cases beyond. A chance encounter with a Starfleet officer when she was twelve filled Lea's head with dreams of going into space and seeing all the worlds that lay beyond Earth. While her parents had hoped for a more grounded choice of career, they did nothing to discourage her aspirations. After all, they had years to change her mind. Unfortunately, that opportunity never came. Destruction of Earth When the Xindi attacked Earth, Lea was thirteen years old. With her parents, she followed the tide of refugees attempting to leave Earth in the few rescue ships that had been available. In the midst of the chaos that followed, Lea found herself on the Galatea, a Boomer ship. What became of her parents, she never knew, all that was for certain was they did not leave Earth. Upon reaching Gaia, Lea became one of the many hundred of children that were orphaned in the wake of Earth's destruction. Being a teenager almost, she was not adopted, not that she wanted to be. Her parents were dead and Lea began taking the early road to adulthood that most children in her situation were forced to. She remained with Gaia's version of a state orphanage until she was sixteen and as soon as she was old enough and capable of passing the entrants examination, Lea joined Starfleet Academy. Starfleet Academy At the Academy, she excelled in her studies and her aptitude tests indicated she had a penchant for security work. She had an analytical mind as well the ability to make quick decisions when the need demanded it. It was also at this point that she learnt that the Starfleet officer she had met on Earth all those years ago was Security Chief Jellico. They struck up a friendship that continued after he had retired and began work with Admiral Mesu. With Jellico's guidance, Lea became single minded and extremely focussed, keeping boyfriends at arm's length because she was only interested in a Starfleet career. Not to say that she didn't enjoy having them but they were of secondary importance. Upon graduation, Lea was assigned to the SS Excelsior and served on that ship until its destruction at the battle of Acheron. She was then assigned to the Regula space station during its construction. During this time, she began a relationship with Lt. Matt Whelan. Later on, she transferred to the SS Cochrane when the news ships were commissioned. Lea served as assistant security chief with a rank of lieutenant. Shortly after receiving this commission, the Xindi War broke out and the Cochrane went to the front lines to halt the advance. Battle of Azati Prime During the battle of Azati Prime, the Cochrane was badly damaged and with a handful of survivors, Lea escaped the destruction only to be captured by Nausicaan pirates. The Nausicaans had little use for the male officers and promptly killed them in unarmed combat. The women, they kept. For almost a year, Lea was missing and considered killed in action. When she returned to Gaia on a Pakled freighter in mid 2169, she was almost catatonic. Security Chief Jellico who had taken up his position since the end of the war was instrumental in nursing Lea back to health. Six months after her arrival on Gaia, she was fit for active duty. While Lea provided some details of her captivity, the extent of her ordeal have been revealed only to Jellico and Dr. Anna D'Tella. In deference to Lea's feelings, those details have been sealed. With Jellico taking up the position of Starfleet Intelligence, he has recommended Lea for the position of Starfleet Security, despite reservations expressed by higher ranking Starfleet Officers. He's convinced Lea can do the job and Lea is determined to prove him right. Relationships Prior to Azati Prime, Lea had met Security Officer Matt Whelan and the two had a relationship. However, when the Xindi war broke out, Matt remained on Gaia protecting the colony while Lea received a starship posting. After her ordeal with the Nausicaans, the Lea Lynch who returned to Gaia was very different from the one Matt knew. She found it difficult to be around him, especially since he expected her to be the girl he fell in love with. Furthermore, everyone seemed to walk on eggshells around her, treating her with kid gloves when all Lea wanted was to be treated like a person, not a victim. It was only during a visit to Starfleet Marine Corps Training Facilty where she had planned on discussing the possibility of some security personnel undergoing Shark training that she met for the first time, Captain Derick Rickman. Derick who had contended with his own demons in the past, was able to make a connection with Lea, especially when he recognised the scar on her shoulder to be the property mark of a Nausicaan slave. Eventually Lea would reveal the extent of her ordeal at the hands of the Nausicaans including the brutal rapes she was forced to endure, rapes that drove other female prisoners to suicide. She also revealed to Derick, making the conscious decision to survive at all costs, crossing the divide between morality and survival, to free herself from captivity. Their relationship began as a friendship which has since evolved into a tentative romance with Derick giving Lea exactly what she needs to be whole again, time. Personality Prior to her captivity, Lea was as well adjusted as any could be. She was friendly, had a dry sense of humour and generally quite optimistic. She was always a little stubborn and when the mood took her, positively defiant. However, these were good qualities in a security officer and she took pride in being a member of Starfleet. She believed in Starfleet morality and high minded ideals, even though she was realistic that not everyone shared such a code. After her escape from the Nausicaans, Lea is more suspicious, less trusting, however, beneath the rock hard exterior, she has empathy for others more than she cares to admit. Her experiences have shown her just how strong she can be and while there is a part of her that needs to deal with what has happened, she has survived and maintained her sense of self by burying it deep. The scars left behind are considerable but Lea's has used that anger and rage to fuel her own strength. No matter what has happened, one thing Lea refuses to be is a victim.